Derrick Burgess hurt, misses practice

Just when the Oakland Raiders defense couldn’t look worse, they practiced Wednesday without two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Derrick Burgess.

Burgess is out with a calf injury that happened midway through the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 23-20 overtime loss at Denver. Raiders coach Lane Kiffin declined to discuss the injury in his press conference Monday.

Burgess didn’t only miss practice, but he wasn’t anywhere near the field with other injured players who were doing rehab exercises, including center Jeremy Newberry (hamstring) and fullback Oren O’Neal (hamstring).

Kiffin will speak with reporters at about 1 p.m., but don’t hold your breath for a precise explanation. Kiffin, like many of his NFL peers, hasn’t been very forthcoming when it comes to injuries and return dates.

If Burgess can’t play Sunday against Cleveland, that would be a significant blow to a defense that ranks 28th in the NFL after finishing third last season.

They’re facing a Browns offense that had a 500-yard passer and 200-yard rusher in the same game for the first time in NFL history during Sunday’s 51-45 victory over Cincinnati.